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Related Concept Videos

pH Scale02:41

pH Scale

80.6K
Hydronium and hydroxide ions are present both in pure water and in all aqueous solutions, and their concentrations are inversely proportional as determined by the ion product of water (Kw). The concentrations of these ions in a solution are often critical determinants of the solution’s properties and the chemical behaviors of its other solutes. Two different solutions can differ in their hydronium or hydroxide ion concentrations by a million, billion, or even trillion times. A common means of...
80.6K
Composition of Polyprotic Acid Solutions as a Function of pH01:19

Composition of Polyprotic Acid Solutions as a Function of pH

875
Polyprotic acids of the type H2M constitute two ionizable protons. As a result, on titration with a base, they exhibit two equivalence points in the titration curve. During titration, the species H2M, HM−, and M2− will be present in the solution at different points. The fractions of H2M, HM−, and M2− present at the various instances of the titration are denoted by α0, α1, and α2, respectively.
A graph with the alpha values is plotted against the volume of...
875
Acid–Base Titration: Overview01:26

Acid–Base Titration: Overview

19.2K
An acid-base titration is a technique used to determine the concentration of an unknown acid or base, using a titrant of known concentration–either a base for acid titration or an acid for base titration. The process involves gradually adding the titrant, leading to a predictable change in the pH of the solution. This change is plotted on a titration curve, showing how a solution's pH varies with the amount of titrant added. Such curves are instrumental in monitoring the...
19.2K
Titration of Polyprotic Base with a Strong Acid01:18

Titration of Polyprotic Base with a Strong Acid

5.9K
The titration of a polyprotic base such as sodium carbonate with a strong acid such as hydrochloric acid results in two equivalence points on the titration curve. At the first equivalence point, the carbonate ions in the base are completely converted to bicarbonate ions. The second equivalence point corresponds to the complete conversion of bicarbonate ions to carbonic acid, which dissociates into carbon dioxide and water. The region before the first equivalence point corresponds to the...
5.9K
Acidity and Basicity of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives01:25

Acidity and Basicity of Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

4.4K
Carboxylic acids are the strongest among organic acids, as they readily lose the hydroxyl proton to form a resonance-stabilized carboxylate ion. In comparison, the acid derivatives lack acidic hydrogens directly attached to a functional group. In these compounds, the acidic nature arises from their ability to lose α hydrogens, making them weakly acidic.
The relative acidic strength of the derivatives can be explained based on the extent of resonance stabilization of the conjugate base. The...
4.4K
Acid–Base Equilibria: Activity-Based Definition of pH01:10

Acid–Base Equilibria: Activity-Based Definition of pH

1.4K
For an ideal solution, the pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. For a non-ideal solution, an accurate measurement of the pH must consider the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity rather than concentration. In such a solution, the pH can be more accurately defined as the negative logarithm of a product of the hydrogen ion concentration and its activity coefficient.
In solutions of very low ionic strength—for example, pure water—the...
1.4K

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Determination of the Gas-phase Acidities of Oligopeptides
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Determination of the Gas-phase Acidities of Oligopeptides

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Acidity: Modes of characterization and quantification.

Klaus Ruthenberg1, Hasok Chang2

  • 1Faculty of Science & Centre for Science and Culture, Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Friedrich-Streib-Str. 2, 96450 Coburg, Germany.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
|December 3, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Early acidity measurement relied on empirical knowledge, not theory. Despite attempts to quantify acid strength, true measurement scales were absent until the pH scale, which itself may not fully capture acidity.

Keywords:
AcidChemical conceptsMeasurementQualitative knowledgeQuantificationpH

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Area of Science:

  • History of Chemistry
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Chemical Measurement

Background:

  • The historical development of understanding and measuring acidity is complex.
  • Early chemical knowledge often progressed empirically, independent of theoretical frameworks.
  • Characterizing and quantifying acids predates established theories of acidity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To trace the early historical trajectory of acidity characterization and quantification.
  • To highlight the empirical basis of early acid strength assessments.
  • To examine the limitations of pre-pH measurement attempts in establishing true scales.

Main Methods:

  • Historical analysis of early chemical literature and laboratory practices.
  • Review of empirical methods used for comparing and assessing acid strengths.
  • Examination of theoretical underpinnings (or lack thereof) in early acidity studies.

Main Results:

  • Significant empirical knowledge regarding acids existed independently of acidity theories.
  • Numerous attempts were made to compare acid strengths using practical laboratory operations.
  • Quantification efforts prior to the pH scale did not yield recognizable measurement scales.

Conclusions:

  • The 'pre-history' of acidity measurement was characterized by empirical observation.
  • The development of a true acidity measurement scale was a gradual and challenging process.
  • Even the pH scale's validity as a comprehensive measure of acidity remains debatable.